BigCommerce and MKM Building Supplies, the prominent UK-based hardware and commercial building supply company have launched MKM’s new online storefront. MKM’s new storefront is built with headless technology on the back end to enable scalability and flexibility. BigCommerce says the new site will deliver a unified omnichannel and seamless B2C shopping experience to drive sales.
According to Andy Pickup, digital & marketing director at MKM Building Supplies, “MKM’s has a unique business model. We experience continued company growth and serve our diverse range of customers with exceptional and hyper-personalised shopping experiences. As a result, we had to revitalise our online store and evolve in an increasingly digital world.”
“Launching on BigCommerce allowed us to personalise the customer journey and deliver frictionless experiences across channels. Since moving to the platform, we have been performing above expectations on eCommerce metrics and driving more physical store visits.”
MKM’s previous platform previously experienced slow page loads, navigation issues and had a high total cost of ownership. In addition, the company was challenged to manage tens of thousands of product SKUs. Furthermore, the company needed to create localised and personalised B2B, B2C and B2B2C shopper experiences across regions.
The complexity of the B2B customer journey
“MKM had its specific set of front and back-end eCommerce hurdles. A large part of it comes down to the complexity of the B2B customer journey,” said Meghan Stabler, senior vice president global product marketing at BigCommerce. “BigCommerce’s platform and ecosystem equip MKM Building Supplies with the flexible tools to build tech stacks that overcome these challenges. At the same time, creating frictionless B2C user experiences so the brand can focus on advancing its business.”
To support BigCommerce replatforming, MKM engaged media, marketing and technology company Brave Bison to help MKM integrate the overall solution. Brave Bison enlisted front-end solution Vue Storefront to implement the headless architecture. The company also collaborated with commerce experience provider Bloomreach to drive personalisation across the site.
Incredible collaboration
“The new MKM site is the result of incredible collaboration between MKM and a number of leading technologies. It demonstrates the power of composable commerce in helping businesses create the commerce experience best suited for their needs,” said Tjeerd Brenninkmeijer, executive vice president of EMEA at Bloomreach. “We’re thrilled to see MKM implement all three Bloomreach pillars — Engagement, Discovery, and Content. Furthermore, we look forward to seeing how both MKM and its buyers will benefit from a more personalised digital experience.”
“We’re delighted that MKM chose Vue Storefront to power its front end and enhance its online customer experience. The possibilities our technology offers complements MKM’s growth ambitions, and we’re looking forward to helping the company achieve its aims however best we can,” said Patrick Friday, CEO of Vue Storefront. “Our agnostic front end offers the most eCommerce software integrations on the market, enabling businesses to build custom storefronts quickly, easily and cost effectively. It also gets them to market faster and is future-proof and scalable. We’re excited to see how our collaboration develops — and, in particular, MKM’s progress.”
Enterprise Times: What this means for business
On paper, the MKM project is a good example of talent and technology combining with ambition to deliver transformative change. MKM says this year-long project overcame complex challenges, including multiple integrations within a headless architecture. The end results are personalised omnichannel experiences for B2B and B2C and multi-tiered pricing and local fulfilment. Many retailers face the challenge of the need to fix back office systems and processes, before they can effectively embrace eCommerce. BigCommerce’s headless architecture, composable commerce technologies and partner ecosystem appeared ready and willing to tackle MKM’s back-end complexities. The company now appears to have a platform ready to optimise customer-driven experiences. Something retailers across the globe have to consider, in order to survive today’s increasingly competitive market.
